Forgotten
by Araidel
Summary: After Ira Hath's prophecy, Red Mimilith was too scared to even go near Miller Marish


_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. If I did, you would be reading this in a book._

Forgotten

By Araidel

"_Two children of your own, but four children all together."_ Red still remembered the exact words that Ira Hath had said to her two years ago before they had come into the homeland. Back then, when Red had been 15, the possibility of even having children seemed ridiculous. She couldn't have seen how they could have gotten off the mountain and into the homeland. However, when Bowman had returned, Ira Hath's prophesy seemed real.

But, Red kept thinking, she could have been wrong. Even though Ira's prophecy hadn't been proved wrong yet, Red couldn't think of why Miller Marish would have been interested in _her_? He had two wonderful children to take care of and, even though the Manth people in the homeland believed totally in all of Ira's prophecies, shouldn't be thinking about a 17-year-old girl and the prophecy of their betrothal.

Red put her head into her hands and sat down on a bollard by the port. Ever since their flight into the homeland, she had been avoiding the man she had been prophecy-betrothed to. When Miller, Fin or Jet had entered anywhere where she had been, Red had made a hasty exit.

Red lifted her head and though about what her father, Miko Mimilith, had said to her just a year ago. _"Red, my dear. You _must _stop this silliness with Miller Marish. It was prophesied that you would be betrothed so why must you fight him? I couldn't help my feelings for your mother and he can't help his feelings for you." _

His words had been permanently etched onto her brain along with Ira Hath's. Then, as Red though about her relationship with Miller Marish, another memory came to mind:

_The bandit camp … the killing of their 'husbands' … Miller had run with the other boys to help the girls run up the where Mumpo and Bowman stood. He had run only to where Red had stood and helped only her to reach the tunnel entrance. _

Red sighed and put her head in her hands again. He really did have feelings for her. Of course, the girl had had thoughts about trying the relationship. Miller was a good father, after all, and he had been kind to his first wife; Red couldn't think about any reason why he wouldn't be kind to her. But, still she avoided the man.

"Red?"

Red jumped a mile and her head jerked up to look at her new companion. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the land and over Miller Marish, who stood in front of Red now.

"M-Miller." She chocked out. "You scared me."

Miller looked directly in Red's eyes. "I'm sorry, Red." He said down on the bollard nearest to where Red had been sitting. "Won't you sit down?"

Red debated about whether lying through her teeth and saying that she had chores at home, but decided against it. Liars were always discovered and, anyway, Miller deserved to be heard. Red sat down on the bollard and looked, not at the man in front of her, but out at the sea.

"Red, why have you been avoiding me for the past two years?" Miller asked.

_Straight to the point then _Red thought. "I haven't been avoiding you." She said. It was the half truth.

"Then why," Miller said. He folded his arms and lent back slightly to look at the girl in front of him, "is it that whenever I come into a room where you are, you leave soon after?"

_So he knows about that _Red thought. She shrugged. Miller leant forwards again. He put his hand on Red's shoulder and she looked at him. "Why are you avoiding me?" he asked again. "Have I done something?"

Red shook her head. "It's nothing _you _have done, Miller." She said truthfully.

"Then-"

Red couldn't bear it. The man had done nothing wrong, she was only paranoid. Red stood up and stepped away from Miller. "I have to get home." She said. "I have chores."

Red ran away, scared by the thought of the prophecy that Ira had told her. She ran home.

As Red laid the table for her family supper two nights later, she heard her brother calling.

"Red! Will you please stop with the table laying and come here!" Lolo called. Red sighed and put the last plate in the last place before walking into the kitchen.

"What do you want, Lolo?" she said.

Lolo stood in front of the bubbling pot of stew that she had been making earlier. "Can you stop it bubbling?" he asked.

Only then did Red realise that her stew was bubbling, fizzing and burning. "Lolo!" she scolded. "What did you do?"

Red ran towards her cooking and grabbed a bucket of water. She threw it onto the fire underneath the pot and slowly, the blackened meat calmed down. Lolo looked at his sister.

"You have a problem, sis." He said.

Red looked at her brother. Being only a year apart, she and Lolo had gotten on very well. The third Mimilith child, Mo, was four years younger than Lolo and left to his own devices a lot.

"What problem is that, Lolo?"

"You don't think I haven't seen you at night, muttering the words of Ira Hath's prophecy to yourself?"

Red froze. "And," Lolo continued, "Miller Marish has been watching you a lot these days. You really should stop worrying about the prophecy and get to know him as a man, as Miller Marish."

"It's easy for an outsider to say." Red muttered.

"But it's also easy to break a man-in-love's heart." Lolo left the room and Red watched him go. _Perhaps I should forget Ira's prophecy and just get to know him as a man who likes me? _Red though as she turned around to dish out the stew for her family. _Perhaps I shouldn't look at him as the man who I was prophesised to marry._

As she sat at the table with her family, Red thought about Lolo's idea. She played with her meal and Lea, her mother, was just about to ask whether her oldest child was alright when a knock at the door interrupted their unusually quiet meal.

Miko stood to answer the door and the family listened for a sign as to who wanted the Mimilith family.

"Yes," Miko's voice said. "I'll just go and get her."

Miko came back into the room. Lolo and Mo were looking from their mother to their sister, both wondering who the 'her' was going to be.

Miko looked at his daughter and said "Fin Marish is here to see you. She said she wanted to talk to you by the pier."

Red froze. _Fin Marish _she though _the oldest daughter of _Miller _Marish._

However, Red rose from the table and walked out to the porch. Fin was waiting and she smiled at the older girl. "Can we talk?" she asked.

Red shrugged. Fin walked away from Red's house and led Red towards the pier. Fin stopped and hopped onto a bollard where she swung her legs, looking at Red.

"I know that you were freaked out by the prophecy that Ira Hath made about you and Daddy." She said. Just like her father, Fin had cut straight to the reason she was talking to Red. Red swallowed and also sat down on a bollard.

"But, I was talking to Lolo yesterday," Fin continued, "and we have decided that Ira Hath didn't make a prophecy about you or about Daddy."

"What?" Red asked in confusion. She had no idea where this line of though was taking Fin or Lolo.

"Daddy really likes you, Red." Fin explained. "And when I asked about it, he told me that he was waiting for you to feel comfortable with him. And, it is a year later and you still don't feel comfortable. So Lolo and I decided that Ira didn't make a prophecy, so there is no reason for you to feel uncomfortable around Daddy, anymore."

_Oh a 9-year-old's innocence _Red though, smiling to herself. "Fin," she said, "it isn't that easy."

Fin shook her head. "Yes it is." Fin nodded once and hopped off the bollard, walking happily home.

Red, sitting where Fin had talked to her two days ago, looked out to sea again. _I was scared by her prophecy. And, maybe I _should _take Fin's and Lolo's advice. _She though over and over again. _And, even if I am not comfortable enough to accept that we are going to be betrothed one day, I can at least be his friend._

Red stood up and walked back into the town. She took the familiar walked to the platform where Tanner Amos was going to build a Wind Singer at one point and turned right down a road that would lead her to the Marish house.

Standing outside, Red took a deep breath and knocked on the door. _This is it _she thought _there was no prophecy made and now I am going to make amends. _

The door opened and Red looked inside. "Yes?" Jet said.

Red sighed and asked "Is your father here?"

Jet scowled and looked at the girl 10 years her senior. "What do you want with Da-?"

A hand clamped around Jet's head from behind her. Fin's face poked out through the doorway and said "Red. Daddy is by the pier."

"I seem to be going there a lot." Red said to herself. Then she looked at the Marish children in front of her. "Thank you Fin, Jet."

Red turned around and traced her footsteps to the pier again. She stood where she could see the whole pier and saw a single figure sitting with his legs in the sea. She made her way over to where the man sat.

"Miller?" she asked. Miller turned around. Red grinned. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Miller shook his head and Red also sat down with her legs in the water. They were silent for a while, Red's mind ticking over whether to do what she was thinking about doing, or chickening out again.

She decided on the former. "Miller, I'm sorry about the way I've acted these past two years." She said. Miller looked up at her in surprise. "I've was just … scared about being betrothed before I have even gotten to know you. Every one in the town knows that we will end up married one day, and I was scared knowing that there was an expectation on me to get betrothed to you."

Red trailed off. There was nothing more she could say. Miller looked at the girl he had been looking at for two years running. "It doesn't matter." He said. "I know how you feel. But you shouldn't feel that just because Ira prophesied that we would be betrothed, we are. Prophecies aren't always accurate."

Red looked at the man next to her. "It doesn't matter if it is true or untrue, but I shouldn't have ignored you." She said.

"Don't worry about it, Red." Miller said forcefully. "Are we friends now?"

Red looked up. His simple dismiss of her ignoring him told her one things; that what her family had told her about how Miller felt, was true. But he was offering her friendship, giving her time and friendship was the first step to a betrothal. Red nodded. The two Manth people watched the glow of the sunset and Red put her head onto Miller's shoulder. Miller slipped an arm around the girl's shoulder and together they watched the water shining as if a spirit was skating over it. And Red forgot the prophecy.


End file.
